Cameroon officials attend the opening ceremony of a hydroelectric station co-built by Power China and local construction corps in Cameroon, on July 10, 2020. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

State-owned Power Construction Corp of China (Power China) is resuming overseas projects in an orderly manner in a bid to bring overseas business back to normal and benefit local regions.

Its projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Saudi Arabia, Laos and elsewhere are back on track.

At the beginning stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, Power China issued an emergency plan for contagion prevention and control in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It established an emergency working group and a contagion prevention office in order to guide local employees in the fight against pandemic.

Power China said that currently, with the priority being "no infections", its two projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina were being constructed in an orderly manner

Specifically, the working group strictly implemented an epidemic prevention and control system, including body temperature tests, regular disinfections and medical material distribution and updates. To increase employee knowledge and awareness of prevention and control measures, it also organized related lectures.

"It's amazing," said Mirza Krasnic, an employee from a hydropower project along the Neretva River in Bosnia and Herzegovina after attending the lectures.

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"My mom said I was really lucky to learn from Chinese experience in epidemic prevention and control directly and comprehensively. The company also offered protective materials to us to ensure our safety," he said.

Power China said that currently, with the priority being "no infections", its two projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina were being constructed in an orderly manner. The company vowed to work hard to ensure project compliance, build its corporate brand overseas and serve the local market.

Wu Gangliang, a researcher at the China Enterprise Reform and Development Society, said: "Currently, the overseas pandemic situation is still severe, and SOEs' overseas production and operations and other business activities are greatly affected. Demand is insufficient and costs are rising. The resumption of overseas projects faces great pressure."

However, SOEs managed to overcome difficulties to stabilize the global supply chain, enhance working partners' confidence and deepen localization overseas, fully demonstrating their economic and social responsibilities, Wu said.

Power China's 730-megawatt power station project in Rumaila, Iraq, was also making steady progress. On the basis of epidemic prevention and control, local employees actively overcame various difficulties in construction and production to ensure progress of the project.

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Due to the contagion, many overseas employees could not return to their workplace after taking vacations. Therefore, local employees remained at the project site to ensure normal production activities.

Nabeel Hussain, a quality control engineer from Pakistan, has been working at the Iraqi project site for over a year. His sister's wedding fell in March. Although at that time there were flights between Iraq and Pakistan, considering the fact that it would be difficult for him to fly back to Iraq due to the pandemic, Hussain chose to stick to his post.

"The company has offered great support to us. With the pandemic going on, everyone should make his own efforts," Hussain said.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, while the hydropower project of Power China was making progress, volunteers from the company were publicizing epidemic prevention and control knowledge in local schools.

On March 10, the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in the country. The contagion prevention and control situation was not looking very encouraging at the time. A lack of information left locals generally unable to fully understand the outbreak. On one hand, people were afraid of the virus. On the other hand, they were not fully informed on how to best protect themselves.

"We hope to teach locals the right way to protect themselves and ease their anxiety," said Ma Yongjun, deputy manager of the Middle and West Africa department of Sinohydro Bureau 1 Co Ltd, a local branch of Power China.

The company organized local employees and translators to translate and edit epidemic prevention and control documents from China. Therefore, local students were able to learn about contagion prevention and control strategies.

The overseas project also offered employment for locals. Before working at Sinohydro Bureau 1 Co Ltd, Bungudi Buadia Rodrigue and his six other family members lived in the DRC in a house of less than 30 square meters. In 2015, Rodrigue was chosen by the company for his excellent driving skills. The following year, he built a new house for his family and lives a better life. Now, he plans to get married with his girlfriend when the pandemic comes under control.

Wu said China is among the countries that are willing to promote globalization. China's SOEs undertake major projects overseas, and host countries benefit.

The projects bring employment, improve local infrastructure, accelerate the region's industrialization, reduce poverty and therefore promote overall political and social advancement of host countries, he said.